Aquatic Park pier decay keeps sightseers at bay

Much of historic site has been fenced off for visitors' safety

Updated 8:32 am, Friday, August 15, 2014

The Municipal Pier's deterioration at Aquatic Park is forcing areas to be fenced off to protect public safety. Estimates put the cost to rehabilitate the structure at $70 million, a price that keeps rising over time. less

The Municipal Pier's deterioration at Aquatic Park is forcing areas to be fenced off to protect public safety. Estimates put the cost to rehabilitate the structure at $70 million, a price that keeps rising over ... more

San Francisco's Municipal Pier has no design flourishes, but its 1,850 foot long arc into the bay alongside Aquatic Park is unique.

San Francisco's Municipal Pier has no design flourishes, but its 1,850 foot long arc into the bay alongside Aquatic Park is unique.

Photo: John King, The Chronicle

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San Francisco's Municipal Pier has no design flourishes, but its 1,850 foot long arc into the bay alongside Aquatic Park is unique.

San Francisco's Municipal Pier has no design flourishes, but its 1,850 foot long arc into the bay alongside Aquatic Park is unique.

Photo: John King, The Chronicle

Image 8 of 17

Pedestrians walk the Aquatic Park pier that offers great views of the Golden Gate Bridge. A perfect way to relieve holiday stress and walk off those extra pounds is an excursion to the San Francisco Maritime National Park. Nestled between the Bay and major tourist attractions--Ghirardelli Square, the Cannery and Fisherman's Wharf--and stretching from Hyde Street to Van Ness Avenue, the park leads you through the sights and sounds of San Francisco's colorful maritime past Friday December 16, 2011. less

Pedestrians walk the Aquatic Park pier that offers great views of the Golden Gate Bridge. A perfect way to relieve holiday stress and walk off those extra pounds is an excursion to the San Francisco Maritime ... more

Photo: Lance Iversen, The Chronicle

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With sunny skies and blustery winds, visitors fish on the Municipal Pier in San Francisco, Calif. on Thursday, April 28, 2011.

With sunny skies and blustery winds, visitors fish on the Municipal Pier in San Francisco, Calif. on Thursday, April 28, 2011.

Photo: Kat Wade, Special To The Chronicle

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In this file photo, Julian Garcia, of Novato, takes cover under a drop cloth as he fishes for crab off the Aquatic Park Pier, on Thursday Feb. 24, 2011, in San Francisco.

In this file photo, Julian Garcia, of Novato, takes cover under a drop cloth as he fishes for crab off the Aquatic Park Pier, on Thursday Feb. 24, 2011, in San Francisco.

In this file photo, Lee Wiglesworth visiting SF from Philadelphia sits along the Aquatic Park Pier under hazy afternoon skies.

In this file photo, Lee Wiglesworth visiting SF from Philadelphia sits along the Aquatic Park Pier under hazy afternoon skies.

Photo: Michael Macor, SFC

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Aquatic Park pier decay keeps sightseers at bay

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For eight decades, the Municipal Pier at San Francisco's Aquatic Park brought spectators into the bay, curving them out closer to some of the city's most iconic sights.

In recent years, the views remained just as beautiful - but the jutting, man-made peninsula that rendered them has gotten smaller. A black fence runs the length of the 1,600-foot pier, keeping passersby away from worn and crumbling concrete.

The railing that sightseers once leaned over as they took in the sight of the Golden Gate Bridge is now inaccessible, and people are held back about a dozen feet away.

"I want to take a picture, but I just can't get it," a frustrated Emily Wang said on a recent day.

The sun peeking through gray clouds had cast a glow over the bridge, compelling Wang, 35, to stop during one of her twice-weekly runs. But as she stretched her phone over the fence, she realized she couldn't quite capture the scene. Since 2008, more and more of the historic pier has been fenced or gated off, the result of National Park Service officials discovering that the structure was falling apart. Particularly on the western edge, the once-sturdy concrete is dilapidated and cracked.

'Deteriorating over time'

What has been a gathering place during big waterfront events like Fleet Week is now closed off for many celebrations out of an abundance of caution.

This is the unfortunate - and stubborn - state of affairs for a pier that was built more than 80 years ago, not only as a public space but as an instrument to break waves and create calm waters for recreation at Aquatic Park to the east.

Lynn Cullivan, a management analyst with the National Park Service, said the pier could once hold 200 pounds per square foot, but can now take on an estimated 50 pounds.

"It was built really well - it was actually overbuilt for its time, and that's probably why it's lasted this long," he said. "But it's just been deteriorating over time."

While the National Park Service is fighting to save it, the cost of repairs grows with each year funding is delayed. And because the pier is part of a national landmark district, the Park Service is barred from simply replacing it outright.

Moreover, the removal of the structure, even temporarily, would allow waves to pound through Aquatic Cove, riling up the waters too much for swimming and boating - and definitely too much for the historic ships docked there, Cullivan said.

And then there's the pier's iconic stature. Chronicle architectural critic John King called it "a vantage point and visual anchor for an intertwined collage of city and nature that is like no other in the world."

When the Park Service studied the condition of the pier in 2008, officials estimated that a rehab job would cost $40 million.

$70 million to replace

Officials believed the agency could come up with at least half and were actively searching for financial partners. But the funding never came through, and the pier continued to decline.

Now, Cullivan said, the estimated cost is $70 million.

"At this point, the goal would be replacement, but retaining the historic configuration," Cullivan said. "Not exactly starting from scratch - the design would be the same - but using new material rather than trying to reinforce deteriorated pieces.

"It's a very expensive project," he acknowledged. "It's a good project and one we would really like to fix, but it's a big price tag and it's hard to complete a big project like that."

All the Park Service can do now is keep passersby from the less sturdy areas, while hoping that the needed funding arrives.

"We're keeping an eye on it and keeping it open as much as we can," Cullivan said. "It's a fantastic resource, but it's basically just an old pier."

What's not working

Issue: The old Municipal Pier in the northwest corner of San Francisco's Aquatic Park is falling apart. Much of it is fenced off to pedestrians for their safety.

What's been done: The National Park Service has been waiting for funding to come through for years, as the pier deteriorates and the costs increase. The current estimate for fixing the pier is $70 million.

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